Bethyl Christmas one-shots
by Kije999
Summary: 10 Christmas and winter related Bethyl one-shots based on prompts.
1. Hot Chocolate

So I wanted to write fluff. Past week has been hectic, Beth's 'dead' (#TeamDelusional here), actions, spoons. And I just needed to write fluff, well because Shipwrecked is horror and drama and Vive la Révolution is Drama and Angsty. So I hope you enjoy! It's not beta'd and I'm kinda tired as I upload this, sorry for my errors.

First prompt: Hot Chocolate  
>Modern AU: With no-one to spend Christmas with Beth stumbles across Daryl, who got locked out of his home.<p>

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><p><strong>Christmas Eve<strong>

The heels of her boots crunched on the snow covered pavement, trying her best not to slip over the icy streets. Beth shivered and pulled her jacket tighter around herself, her teeth chattered since she started to walk. She sniffed and rubbed her cold, red nose with her cloth covered hand. Her jeans felt cold and stiff against the skin of her legs. A great discomfort. She should have brought more clothing with her to work. And she should get her car fixed already.

Beth felt the cold settle in her bones and she feels herself shaking uncontrollably. All she wanted now was getting home, take a hot bed, drink a mug of hot chocolate and roll herself up in comforter and watch a cheesy Christmas movie all weekend. She sniffed again and kept walking as she decided to walk through the park, which is kind of a short-cut to her apartment, it doesn't really matter though.

A loud cough broke her train of thoughts and she moved to the source of the sound. Beth frowned in confusion as she saw someone familiar. "Daryl?"

Daryl Dixon, a good friend of her –and maybe crushing on, sat on the park bench, slouched and with a cigarette pinched between thumb and pointer in his right hand.

Said man turned around at the sound of her voice and looked back at her and nodded. "Beth."

"What are you doing out here this late?" Beth asked, rubbing her numb fingers against each other in her coat pockets. "It's freezing tonight and I find you here sitting on a park's bench."

"Can ask you the same," he grunted out, his southern accent thick on his words.

"It's Tuesday, I work a double shift at the hospital," Beth rolls her eyes and smiles, trying to control her chattering teeth. "Besides that, it was, like, really busy at work."

Busy was easily put, it's the winter period. A period where people break their bones by slipping on ice, people get easily sicker. Beth has done nothing but support people getting casts all day, mostly elders. She shifted her weight on her left feet, rubbing her ice cold jeans together to get a little warmth from it. She noticed that he was shivering despite the attempt to hide it.

Beth frowned in worry and bites her lip. "Why are you out here in the park, you'll freeze to death –especially with what you are wearing." She pointed her clothed finger at the leather jacket that got thinner by age and the worn jeans that sported tiny holes in the fabric. "It's five degrees out here!"

"Night shift at the bar, closed up really early after an accident. When I got home I got locked out on accident. Merle was sleeping on the couch, probably passed out drunk or high on the couch," Daryl scoffed. "And I forgot the key."

"I'm surprised that Merle locked the door," Beth raised an eyebrow.

Daryl scoffed again. "Yeah no, he wouldn't do that. The lock's kinda broken and locks itself sometimes. Should get it fixed soon."

"You can stay at my place for the night, if you want," Beth offered, without thinking first. She flashed the man a sheepish smile. "I mean it's Christmas Eve and I usually spend it Maggie, but she's married now and has a family…So…?"

"Don't you have to visit your family tomorrow?" Daryl asked, getting up from his position from the bench, stretching his sore and cold muscles with a groan.

Beth smiled sadly. "I ain't going anywhere, car broke down yesterday. I called my parents, telling them I won't be there." Beth sniffed again, feeling the disappointment hit her again. All her family were together and she's stuck in the big city. Beth looked at Daryl again. "What about you, you got anyone for Christmas?"

Daryl shook his head and a visible shiver shook his body as a cold wind blew. "Nah, never celebrated Christmas before."

Beth looked down and then back up and smiled with a glimmer in her eyes. "Do you want to spend Christmas with me? I mean you don't have to, but I think nobody should be alone on Christmas." She spoke with honesty in her voice and let out a soft laugh at his dumbstruck face.

"At least stay the night, I don't want someone finding you frozen to death," Beth pushed a lock of hair behind her ear again.

A silence followed before he mumbled an answer. "Fine, lead the way."

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><p>Beth returned from her bedroom after she showered, wearing her red and blue checker pyjamas, bright pink socks and a beige Rudolph the reindeer pullover to cover her bare shoulders. She carried a couple comforters in her arms along with a pillow, she walked to the couch and dropped them. She looked at the clock, ten past eleven. She yawned in the palm of her hand and started making the makeshift bed for her guest.<p>

Speaking of Daryl, where is he? _Oh yeah, probably in the kitchen_, she remembers. She had told him to get anything he wants if he was hungry after she handed him her brother's clothing that she still needed to give back.

The meow of one of her cats brought her to the kitchen and she laughed softly as she saw Mabel, the calico cat, on the floor looked up to Daryl as Mickey, the red cat sat on the counter swatting his paw at the milk jug, trying to knock it over. Daryl, who had his back turned to her, turned around to face her. The tips of his eyes turned red as he noticed her standing in the doorway.

"Hey, whatcha doing?" Beth asked with a grin on her face, using that tone of her that girl Isabelle in her nephew's favourite show, Phineas and Ferb. She walked over to him and picked up Mabel from the ground, petting the thick fur of the cat. Beth saw what he was doing and a smile brightened on her face. "Making hot cocoa? That's really nice."

"Saw the cocoa in the cupboards, decided to make you some for you," he shrugged, pouring the milk into the two cups and placed them in the microwave. "As thank you for letting me stay the night."

"You're a friend, Daryl," Beth hopped on the counter and placed Mabel down and starting petting the tom who's attention was still on the milk jug. "You're always allowed to stay."

Daryl coughed and wiped his hands on the grey sweatpants Beth gave him. "Guess I was lucky to be found by you, someone else would have thought I was some homeless guy."

Beth sighed. "You're a good man, Daryl. Don't think otherwise." She hopped off the counter, almost slipping on the tiles of the kitchen but she caught herself by grabbing the counter. "Besides, can't have you die from hypothermia."

The microwave dinged and Beth moved to grab the mugs. "There is some cinnamon in that cupboard." She placed the mugs on the counter, licking a stray droplet from her finger that run over the rim of the mug and pointed at the third cupboard on her right.

After applying finishing touches to the beverage, they nestled on the couch and zapped through the late night channels on Christmas Eve. Beth decided to stop when a movie popped up on the screen. And albeit it was almost half way done, it's an old one Beth had watched a lot of times before.

Beth took a sip from the hot chocolate and smiled. "This is a good recipe, I like it."

"Just the basic one, nothin' special," Daryl brushed it off as he took a gulp from his own mug.

"Everyone has their way to make it special, even you," Beth smiled at him. "It's nothing fancy, but-," she looked down and then back up at him. "I like simple."

It's the truth, she likes simple. He's simple and she likes it a lot.

"So you comfy?" Beth tried to change the subject as she nestled herself deeper into the couch, staring at the screen of the television.

"Better than my couch," he grinned back at her.

"Good, at least you'll be comfortable tonight."

Daryl finished his mug and placed it on the table, licking his lips. "You really alone with Christmas this year."

Beth sighs and bites her lip. "Yep, all alone. My parents hold a Christmas party each year since Wendy was born five years ago, so we can all enjoy Christmas together."

"And you're car's broken?"

Beth nods and places her now empty mug next to Daryl's on the coffee table. "Besides, looks like a snowstorm outside. I don't think I use public transport either." Beth licked her dry lips and reached in her pyjama pants pocket and fished out a lip balm and applied it. "You were alone, too, right?"

Daryl shrugs. "Like I said, Merle and I never did Christmas. It's just another day for us."

Beth nods and smiles innocently. "So…," she dragged out. "You wanna spend it with me?"

"I guess that won't be so bad, I just don't have present for ya," he scoffed.

Beth laughed. "You can make me a mug of hot chocolate tomorrow, I'll accept that as a present."

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><p>Not really romantic yet, but other prompts will have that ;). It's a warm up. Maybe I can merge one of the prompts I got with this one-shot as a second part.<p>

Thank you for reading!


	2. Snowflakes

Hey! Thank you for the favs, follows and reviews!

Second prompt: Snowflakes.

Sorry it's not edited or anything, it's 2.30 A.M here and I woke up at 6 A.M yesterday.

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><p>Alexandria, five years later<p>

As the first snow falls he sees her again, this time for real.

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><p><strong>Snowflakes<strong>

Daryl sat down on the wooden surface of the chair on top of wall, next to the large gate that guarded the Alexandria Safe Zone. It's dark behind the gate and the living city behind him is cascaded in the light from the street lanterns –that are being lit as in the 19th century, with candles. He reached into the pocket of his jacket, fishing out a pack of cigarettes. He opened the lid of the carton and removed one of the cigarettes from the box. He took the lighter from his jeans pocket as he held the cigarette between his chapped lips and lit it.

It air is cold and smells like winter the clouds are thick and full of snow waiting to be released, the full moon barely visible through the clouds. It will be the first snow of the season, Daryl noted and removed the cigarette from his lips after taking a drag from it. He blew the smoke of his lungs into the crisp air, tapping the ash of the end.

It's a boring job, gate watch. It's simple, keep bandits away from the people. The high walls have barbed wire on it already, prevents bandits and people with bad intentions getting in the zone. Walkers aren't really a threat anymore in the zone, they're outside the walls and can't climb to get in. Once in a while they have new arrivals at the gate, maybe two times in the three months –the scouts have more change of finding people. Survivors are scarce, the ones that mean no harm. There are plenty bad motherfuckers left in the world.

The good ones don't survive out there, he reminds himself bitterly as he reminded himself of the blonde that died a long time ago.

At the other side a couple of other residents were watching out, two young men –he calls them idiot # 1 and #2, that already lived in Alexandria way before his family and him arrived here. They looked bored, talking to each other in hushed voices. Daryl didn't care about them, from what he has seen they're a bunch of amateurs, bragging and all that stuff. The man scoffed as they looked at him and smoked the last of the cigarette, threw the butt on the ground and stomped on it and grabbed the rifle that rested on the ground, beside his crossbow that took everywhere with him.

Ready for the shift.

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><p>He thinks about her every single day<p>

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><p>The sound of gunshots rang clear and it was close. There wasn't shouting, no orders, no sounds. Just one single gunshot. Daryl, who was slumping in the chair, shot up and gripped the rifle. He nodded to the two man, assigning them to stay alert. He squinted his eyes towards the darkness, looking for a sign of life –or undead. He sniffed, focusing the rifle to the darkness.<p>

"I don't know, Dixon," He heard one of the men yell from their spot across the gate. "Would have heard another shot, maybe the biters got 'm."

Daryl resisted the urge to roll his eyes, couldn't these fools be more quiet. Could have been one walker, one shot needed. He signed them to be quiet, pointing down. Those in the darkness must have heard the idiot, he sure of it.

Another shot rang and a dead walker fell out of the darkness of the shadow, shot point blanc in the head. A cold wind blew suddenly, sending shiver down his spine. He pointed the rifle to the direction the walker fell from. He signed the men on the other side to hold fire.

"Who's there?" the same idiot demanded the darkness.

Slowly, tiny snowflakes fell from their imprisonment in the sky. The wind picked them up and blew away in several swirling directions. The night is getting colder.

Then a female voice rang out. "Someone there?"

Daryl froze, finger slowly moving away from the trigger. He knew that voice. It haunts him whenever he sleeps, haunts his life._ No that's impossible_, he thinks. It can't be her, _you laid her into that grave yourself_.

The voice in the darkness continued. "Please, I need help. My friend, he's hurt and needs medicine!"

The woman sounds like she is in panic. Daryl hears her walking –hurried steps, towards them through the street. Her feet barely made sound, but he hears them over the wind. Then she steps into sight, away from the darkness.

Blond hair pulled in a ponytail, loose strands of hair falling in her face and around her neck. His eyes fall on the faded scar on her cheek, and follows them up to the line on her forehead. Daryl felt the rifle slip from his hands –onto the concrete surface on top of the wall. She's alive!

Her name slips from his lips, it was a silent whisper.

He wants to jump off the wall, see if she's real. Not another hallucination. He looks at his companions, they too looked at the young woman down in front of the gate.

"Do you have a name, lady?" Idiot #2 asks.

"It's Beth." His breath stops, she's here.

"Where is your friend?" Idiot #1 again.

"He's in a car, just a couple blocks away," she spoke, trying to hide the panic from her words. "Please, you got to help him."

Daryl volunteered, grasping his crossbow and jumping off the wall –groaning as his aged bones made contact with the ground. Ah, he had worse. He ordered the two men to keep guarding and that he'll come back in a hour or two. He walked towards her slowly, as if she would disappear if he got too close. He heard her gasp and judging her reaction she hadn't seen him on top of the wall. He sees her mouth open and close, she couldn't speak.

"You're alive?" she questions him, looking at him with big blue eyes full of confusion.

Look who's talking, he wanted to say. I buried you, you were dead. But he didn't say anything and nods. A sudden move from her and he feels her chilled by the freezing air body against him, her arms around his shoulders and face pressed against the thick jacket that protected him against the cold. And he returns her affection, wrapping his arms around her carefully, she could vanish or break.

She's isn't that fragile girl anymore. He saw that when she pulled back and faced him, he noticed the circular, tiny scar on her forehead. Barely visible. She's stronger than anyone combined. She's been shot in the head, got out of her own grave.

Thicker snowflakes started to fall out of the sky, coating the ground underneath them white. The white flakes adorned her hair and she looked like an angel. He nods at her and asks her where her friend is. She nodded and walked into the direction and he followed her.

He isn't going to let her go again.

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><p>Turns out, her friend Morgan was looking for Rick by the time he found Beth, who was lost and scared, old blood on her forehead and fresh and dried mud on her clothing. She had lost her memory. Morgan patched her back up on her feet, which took more than just a couple of months and started following the map Rick had left. When they arrived in D.C, there was nothing. Just the dead roaming the streets of the capitol. After that, they wandered around for years as Beth slowly regained her memories. They met groups, bad and good. They left the good ones and avoided the bad ones, they didn't trust anybody.<p>

The past years they were seeking, in two different states, they gave up. Morgan had given up after finding D.C but Beth kept saying they might have found something else, but later she too gave up. It wasn't long ago when Beth regained the last of her memories, she remembered Richmond and Noah saying they had walls and on their way they stumbled upon Alexandria. Morgan got hurt, accidently slashing his arm open when a walker pushed him again some glass. Beth stabbed the walker and helped Morgan to safety. After binding his wounds, she went looking for medicine and then she was at the gate.

Now a year later the sky was once again full of snow that wants to fall for the first time since last winter. Only now, Daryl finds himself in the small house that belongs to him and Beth instead of on top of the wall, exposed to the cruel weather. A small fire burned in the fireplace, illuminating the small room in an orange hue. He stood in front of the window watching tiny flocks of snow fall down. It was about a year now, since he was reunited with Beth.

"Hey," Beth snaked her arms around, pressing herself against his back. Her voice was tired and a bit raw. "It's late, whatcha watching?"

"The snow," he mumbled.

"First snow of the season, huh?" Beth pulled away from their and embrace and stood next to him, interlacing her hand with his. "Then it must have been about a year."

He nodded with a grunt of agreement.

"C'm on, let's go to bed," Beth pecked him on the lips and pulled him along with her and he obligated with a smile on his face.

Outside the little house snowflakes kept falling from the sky.

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><p>Hope you enjoyed, tell me what you think.<p>

Also sorry for my errors...


	3. Santa Claus

Okay, we all have seen that meme of Santa Hershel so here we have, well Santa Hershel greeting a new family member ;).

Enjoy, this one is a little longer than the others and I'm kind of a hurry so it might be a little crappy. Also this is the first time I completely wrote in Daryl's POV and I realized I'm not really good writing him...

But anyway, I hope you enjoy!

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><p>Beth asks Daryl a favour.<p>

He only never expected to stand on the North Pole, surrounded by elves and meeting Santa himself.

_Third prompt: Santa Claus_  
><em>Modern AU<em>

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><p><strong>Santa Claus<strong>

He just couldn't believe it. He's on the north pole, standing in a village with mini-houses. Never in his life would he think that Beth, his girlfriend for three years now, was Santa's daughter. Family business, she called it. Passed down on my generations.

-X-

_Daryl Dixon crossed the road and hurried inside the Starbucks at the corner, shielding himself from the rain. Two weeks for Christmas and it's only rain that falls –no pours from the sky. Doesn't look like Atlanta will have a white Christmas this year. He laughed in his mind, it's bitter and cynic. He never liked Christmas, just another excuse to be with family. Family that he doesn't have. _

_Anyway he came to the coffee shop with a reason and he spotted the blonde he was looking for sipping her hot coco at the table near the large window, her favourite spot. As he neared the table and greeted her, she smiled at her brightest and leaned over the table to kiss him. It's a small peck on his lips but he can feel her love._

_"__Hi," Beth greeted him as she sat back down and returned back to her hot coco. "Glad you came."_

_Daryl nodded and sat down across her at the table. "Yeah, what's wrong? You sounded worried."_

_"__I am," she sniffed, worry replacing her happy expression. "It's almost Christmas."_

_Oh she's goin' in that direction. Daryl frowned. "If this is about you tryin' to convince me to spend Christmas with you and you're family, the answer is no."_

_Beth sighed and placed the mug down on the table, she looked at him with her sad blue eyes and pouty lip. Daryl felt a little guilty saying that to her, he knows how much she loves Christmas._

_Daryl bit on his thumb and looked at her. " 'M sorry, sweetheart. I know how much you love this…holiday, but I never did." _

_She smiled. "It's okay, but I have to tell you something." She placed the mug on the table and looked on her right, seeing if someone was watching or listening to them and whispered with a smile. "It's a really big secret."_

_Daryl raised a brow, knowing his girlfriend isn't the one who keeps secret. "What is it?"_

_"__Look, Daryl we've been together for two years now and you know I'm always away around the Christmas season and that I want you to come with me, last year and the year before that it didn't really matter if you came, but this year I need you to come with me," she's pleading, looking at him with her big blue eyes that reminded him of a doe. "It's really important."_

_Damn her and her eyes, his mind growled as he sighed. "Fine, I'll come this year."_

_A huge smile broke out on her face. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She leaned over the tabled and pressed kisses on his mouth. How that girl can hold so much excitement still marvels him. But he's glad, it's part of her and it makes her more beautiful._

_"__Okay," she pulled away and sat back down on her seat. "Here's the secret, my dad's Santa Claus. And I really need to help my dad each year, and now I need help with helping my dad because each year children keep wishing for more and more and we need all the help we can."_

_Wait, hold up. Did she just say?_

_"__Wait, did you just say…?" he couldn't finish, he just frowned at her, did she loose her mind._

_"__That my dad is Santa, yes," she smiled. "Now, don't think I'm crazy, but my daddy is really Santa."_

_-X-_

And that's how he found himself on the North Pole, following Beth –who gave him a tour through the workshop, wherever she went. Those little people –elves, kind of frightened him. He never knew they existed, just some stupid fairy-tale parents told their kids, just like Santa Claus himself. And now his girlfriend is Santa's daughter. Honestly, it's too much to process and he feels too old for this shit.

"You okay?" the blonde in front of him stopped and looked at him with concern shown in her eyes.

Daryl snapped out of his thoughts and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Jus' tired, that's all."

Beth grinned and nudged him with her shoulder and grabbed his arm. "C'mon, I'll show you our room."

"Bethy, retreating to your room so fast?" the voice of an elder man spoke, kindness evident in his voice. "You didn't even greet your mother and me."

Daryl's heart skipped a beat. He knows when he turns around he's going to face a man he didn't knew exist –well, he knew Beth had a father but he never guessed that it would be Santa Claus. He felt Beth let go of his arm and spin on her heels to face her dad. Daryl slowly turned around as Beth greeted her father with the enthusiasm only she can hold.

"And who's this?" Santa asked the blonde.

"Well, this is my boyfriend daddy," she smiled. "He finally decided to come, he's not really a holiday person."

The man smiled at him and nodded. "I trust your judgement, Bethy. Now if you excuse me, I have plenty of work to do. I'll see you tomorrow in your office?"

Beth nodded, her blond locks moving as she did and smiled. "Yes, daddy."

She turned back to Daryl and once more grabbed his arm and this time she dragged him along to their room.

-X-

Daryl sighed as he opened the he-forgot-how-many file that was stacked up in Beth's office. Beth was right, this was quiet a boring task, but important. He read letter after letter from many children in the world, dictionary next to him because all those letters are from children all over the world. He handed Beth the letter and she called up the child's name and looked in the large snow globe that revealed what the named child did, checking if he was naughty or nice.

"Hmm, what do you think?" Beth asked with a smile when she saw the child drawing a picture. The boy was drawing a picture of his family as his little baby brother played next to him in the baby seat. The boy looked up at the baby and smiled then held up the drawing for the baby to see, telling him that the bunch of shakily drawn circles with two dots for the eyes and a half circle mouth was the baby.

"Beth, I already told you, I ain't good at judgin' people," he confessed, looking at the boy in the vision. "Never been."

"Well, he's obviously a good boy," she dropped the letter back in the file as he marked the file with the nice stamp. "After all, he wished for a teddy bear for his little brother."

"This is what you do every Christmas?"

Beth nodded. "Yep!"

Daryl scoffed. "Doesn't it get boring, doing all this secretary work?" He threw the file case on the pile.

The blonde sighed and hopped of the desk, gathering a pile of the files that are marked with nice and shook her head. "Sometimes, but I love children! I do it for them and their happiness." She walked towards the door, her ponytail bobbing at the movement she made. "Well these are the last files of the year! I'll give it to the elves and then we can finally have some time together!" She winked and closed the door.

Daryl laughed softly and grinned after her before spotting another file at the corner at the desk, where Beth first sat. He frowned and stood up to actually call Beth back but he noticed the file case had a different colour, instead of the white coloured case it had a pinkish hue. He picked the file up and opened it. He had to bite his lip from smiling, instead of the kid scribbles, pretty curly letters formed a letter.

"Is that what you want, huh?"

-X-

The sun poked through the red curtains of the room they stayed in, brightening the room. The light fell on his face and Daryl woke, squinting his eyes at the light. Cursing internally at the slightly open curtains. He felt Beth stir against him and then nuzzle her face against his bare chest, wrapping her arm lazily over him not bothering to untangle her legs from his.

"Mornin'" she whispered against his chest.

He grunted a response tiredly, yawning in his palm. He's still tired, Beth had been pretty lively during sex last night and he was still worn out. Then he felt her moving rapidly and he clumsily dodged her head that almost colliding with his. While he looked at her with tired eyes, she beamed at him with her big doe eyes, looking just as excited as a child on Christmas morning…oh wait.

He understood.

"It's Christmas!" Beth grinned excitedly down at him. She bent down and pressed her lips against his. She tasted like the candy canes she ate last night -no wonder she's so hyperactive last night. He tiredly leaned in the kiss, a little guilty he didn't have the same energy as her. But the kiss was sweet and left a tingling feeling when she pulled her slightly swollen lips away from his to dress herself.

"C'mon, we need to get to the globe!" Beth pulled a red checker petticoat dress with a white puffy rim on the skirt over her head and brushed her hair rapidly, looking like she want to jump up and down impatiently while waiting for him. "It's the most beautiful thing ever, seeing those children happy!"

Something he never was when he was a child. He scoffed internally and buttoned up the flannel shirt Beth threw at him along with his pants. She slipped on her coat and grabbed his arm when he put on his own coat. She ran outside the door and Daryl struggled to keep up with her as he clumsily tried not to slip on the snow or trip over an elf and before he knew it she dragged him to the large snow globe in the centre of the headquarters.

-X-

_Last night_

_"__Son, can I talk to you," Santa –no Hershel asked him as Daryl put down the letter in the pink file._

_"__Uh, yeah sure," Daryl mumbled and looked at the saint. "Beth and I were just done, she's bringing the last files to the…um…elves."_

_"__What about that one?" Hershel smiled and looked at the pink file case and raised a eyebrow. "It's from my Bethy, isn't it."_

_Daryl nodded slowly, thinking about Beth her Christmas wish and the tips of his ear reddening. "Yeah, she uh…she's asking me… she's wants me to propose to her." He gives the letter to his girlfriend's father, feeling intimidated and embarrassed._

_"__You have my blessing," Hershel spoke. "My daughter has been giving this job because she sees the good and evil in people and I have trusted her judgement since she was thirteen." He gave the letter back and fished out a small package and a letter from his large pockets of his red coat. "I think you finally have your Christmas wish, Daryl Dixon."_

_The elder gave him the box and the letter. "Don't open the present before tomorrow. Now if you excuse me, I have to go."_

_Daryl placed the small wrapped box on the table and unfolded the paper, yellow with age and some singed edges and looked at it amazed and with a slight wonder. He was reading his own letter, the one he wrote when he was ten years old. In scratchy letters and terrible grammar and spelling he wished for a loving family, the only wish he ever sent to Santa. The letter he wrote because his teacher pressed him to do. The letter he had to hide from his father, because he was afraid the man would tear it and then him. The letter he hid from his brother, who would call him weak and a girl for believing in such crap._

_The letter that made him think Santa didn't exist because he never got it._

_Daryl scoffed. Better late than never, was that saying, right?_

-X-

"Don't you think it's beautiful," he heard Beth whisper in his ear and snapped him back to today. "Look how happy they are."

Beth rested her head on his shoulder and intertwined her fingers with his and leaned against him as she looked at the visions of children unwrapping their gifs. "You helped with that, marking all those files."

"I found yer file as well," he confessed and dug his fingers in his coat jacked, feeling the small present, now sure of what that is. "You're very subtle, you know that?" He fished out the small box and gave it to Beth. "Merry Christmas."

He felt her hand loose grip on his and started unwrapping the box and let out a soft gasp as she opened the box, seeing the gold band with the small red diamond stone on it. He looked at her, it's now or never.

"Marry me?" he asked, simple as it can be. Beth would understand, he's never been the romantic type and she doesn't mind him being simple and looked at her for an answer.

A huge, bright smile broke out on her face, one only she can master. "Yes!"

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><p>Thank you for reading! Please tell me what you think! I will update Shipwrecked soon as well.<p>

Merry Christmas!


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